1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a washing machine and a control method thereof to detect whether a drive motor to drive a washing machine is locked or not.
2. Description of the Related Art
A washing machine is an appliance that removes dirt from laundry using friction between laundry and water by rotation of a spin basket which contains laundry and water. In general, a washing machine performs a series of processes including washing, rinsing and dehydration.
A fully automatic washing machine includes a spin basket rotatably mounted in a tub and a pulsator rotatably mounted in the spin basket, thereby washing laundry using water current generated by the pulsator. The washing machine further includes a clutch to selectively transmit rotational force generated by a drive motor to the spin basket and the pulsator.
In the washing or rinsing process, the clutch operates to transmit rotational force from the drive motor to the pulsator. In the dehydration process, the clutch operates to transmit rotational force from the drive motor to both the pulsator and the spin basket.
The spin basket is kept in a stationary state in the washing or rinsing process. However, due to erroneous operation of the clutch, rotational force from the drive motor may be unexpectedly transmitted to the spin basket through the clutch. In such a case, the rotational force from the drive motor is applied to the clutch, which may damage the clutch.